Are you a transit passenger flying through China? The country is on a mission to bolster tourism numbers by easing visa requirements. Chongqing is the latest in a string of Chinese cities to relax immigration rules to promote local tourism. Visitors can now score a 72-hour visa-free stay in the city, which is the historic starting point for Yangtze River cruises in the country’s southwest. Chongqing’s official tourism office will be partnering with local tour operators to offer tours of the Three Gorges dam and culinary experiences.
Chongqing is the fifth city after Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu to implement this new visa-free policy. In Beijing, thousands of tourists have already benefited and the city is planning to role out additional incentives like hotel and dining discounts, along with an efficient transit process, to encourage even more passengers to stay over and discover the city while in transit to nearby destinations. For more information, visit www.cnto.org.
Image via Wikimedia/Tan Wei Liang Byorn